no images to post

still in my camera.  it's been a working/school weekend as we head into a long week.  image to come. I am loving the summer weather, although it is excepted to get colder and maybe some rain.  a group of us started a blog-for members only.  we are calling it "rmsp 2010 alumni" and are hoping that the blog has a long and active life ahead of it.  it will be a place where we can share stories about our photographic experiences once we leave the rmsp bubble, a venue to ask questions, post news of the industry and other cool information.  we are keeping the blog private and have not invited all of the students to join.  we want to make it a positive, support site-and frankly-there are some people in the program who do not possess either trait.

Here was my first blog post of the site:

I am overwhelmed with all of the information that I have received this summer. Happy to be going home, but sad to be leaving wonderful new friends behind. I will miss Missoula and RMSP, and leaving will be bittersweet. I have vacillated between a myriad of emotions while at the school; confusion, excitement, frustration, loneliness, joy, in/security, acceptance and peace. This has been an extraordinary professional and personal journey and I am grateful to have shared it with so many loving, talented people. Namaste, Nancy

favorites of last weekend

signs of fall in missoula

Faces

While surfing the internet this morning, looking for photography mentors in my home area,  I stumbled upon this little gem by  Jock McDonald.

photo animation at its best

I am starting to actually like photoshop

i get confused easily & sometimes my mind can't process correctly in a linear order, but I think that I may be starting to understand and even like Photoshop.

Here is today's masterpiece:

stock images & my first montage

I just returned from a wonderful stock photography critique and talk by Forest Woodward, an RMSP teacher and accomplished stock photographer.  He critiqued a few of my images and suggested that I start with the maximum of three (as designated by Istock) and submit the following images:

 

Forest told the class what images work best of the stock agencies and how to start the submission process.  I found an instructional blog posting that addresses these issues.  Check it out!

Forest Woodward blog

a waterfall and a set of train tracks. learning amazing things from Laura Shoe.  I LOVE montages.  look for more images, coming soon.

fall, falls and friends

It is fall here in montana.  it happened all of a sudden-one day it was 90 degrees and then it was 60 and drizzly.  the air smells good, sharp and clean.  like hayfork.

I am ready to go home.  that also happened suddenly.  maybe it was the call from ann that betty fell and was in the hospital  at the vineyard.   ann also told me that peter strachan was having severe nose bleeds-which makes us think that his cancer may have returned.  sad family we have. I feel the need to be surrounded by the pups and my friends and not sleep alone anymore.  I miss my pack.

I am learning so much in AI that I can't properly process it all.  I sit in class and try to take good notes, but I wonder how much I am really absorbing.  It is all technical now-layers and masks and selections and making animation out of still images and compositing and and and...  I need to practice every day when I get home and I know that it will come to me.  I know that I think and learn differently than many people, and I know that it is going to take me longer than others to completely understand all of these concepts.  That's OK. I have plenty of time.

my mentor meeting with Neil went well on saturday.  he critiqued about 40 of my images.  I chose a variety pack so he could see what interests me.  he complimented me on my eye and style and  versatility.  we talked about where I think I may be going from here (images to greeting card companies, building up my portfolio, documentary photography).  I felt good when I left.

Skalkaho Falls

Mike Schart, Me, Angie Dombrowsky

rails & other old stuff

down by the railroad tracks.  just love it there.  missoula is a very cool town.

I am sleeping in the other bedroom in my little house tonight. The room has better light and a firmer bed. I slept until 10:30 this morning, in believe in part because of the darkness of the bigger bedroom. I woke up with a start this morning and it feels discombobulating to sleep so long. Don't like that feeling. So, I will try another bed, like goldilocks, & hope that this bed is just right.

The first week of AI went quickly but was overwhelming.  Of 4 days of classes, I had 3 night classes in addition to the 2 classes during the day.  We are learning advanced photoshop, which is hilarious because we barely touched the surface of photoshop in the summer.  Our teacher talks too fast and gets impatient with us when someone asks him to slow down.  I am feeling frustrated already, and after talking to some of the other students, I am not alone.  PS is something that I am going to have to practice on my own when I return home and I am confident that I will remember some of the materials that we are currently learning.  The problem with this teacher is that he is not a good teacher. Period.  Just because he know the material (after all, he did write the book), does not mean that he can teach it well.

I love my business & marketing, image illustration, & printing classes, and I am sure that I will also like the emerging technology classes when they start.  We have Dave Marx and Eileen Rafferty once again!  Joy!

Since I felt sluggish in SI, I am determined to exercise as much as possible these next 5 weeks.  A group of us are starting to swim 3 days/week in the mornings at the UM pool & I intend to get up to at least 1/2 mile (36 laps) before I leave Montana.

Today the weather was extraordinary. The sun was out and the temperature was high.  I hiked the M at the U photo of the "M"      The "M". 

It is a good workout, not very interesting, but a great way to exercise in a short period of time!